3,585 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Acquired by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,585 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $476,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock worth $464,630,000 after buying an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock worth $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock worth $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,747,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.4%

The Ensign Group stock opened at $147.70 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.23 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $130.84 and its 200 day moving average is $135.29. The company has a market capitalization of $8.49 billion, a PE ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,238 shares of company stock worth $912,050. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.

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